Best and Worst DP combos:

[Cooper]

Not sure if this has been posted - delete if so:

It's clear that our DP combo is good. Cozart has an ok arm and great footwork.
Brandon has numerous tricks around the bag that insure he stays out of the way- a very important skill for a 2nd baseman.

http://http://www.actasports.com/stats_detail/?StatId=346

I hope the link works -i'm embarrassingly old school with re: to using the computer and all of its dazzling effects.

[M2]

The links doesn't work.

[Chip R]

Try this:

http://www.actasports.com/statoftheweek/

[MrRedLegger]

BP and Cozart have an almost identical DRS, unlike the combos of Andino and Hardy, Uggla and Simmons, or Barney and Castro that have one high and one low. IMO that puts our duo higher on the list because of their defensive parity (total DRS set aside). In other words, I see a pair of pretty goods being better than a duo consisting of a very good and just a good.

[RedsManRick]

BP and Cozart have an almost identical DRS, unlike the combos of Andino and Hardy, Uggla and Simmons, or Barney and Castro that have one high and one low. IMO that puts our duo higher on the list because of their defensive parity (total DRS set aside). In other words, I see a pair of pretty goods being better than a duo consisting of a very good and just a good.

On the other hand, it means you have less opportunity for improvement.

[M2]

Totally agreed that distributed quality is preferable to a single-player spike. When the ball doesn't find a guy as well the next season (and Darwin Barney will be that guy in 2013), it exposes just how empty-handed the team actually is.

And just to introduce a gorilla into the room: you may want to be skeptical of any system that's telling you Mike Aviles is a really good SS.

[MrRedLegger]

I see your point, and although we know what we have in BP, our rookie shortstop made that list. I'm optimistic to say that Cozart hasn't hit his ceiling defensively (or offensively for that matter) although I'm aware that he could always regress. I'd say that the Dan Uggla's & Co. from that list are finished improving on their fielding but Cozart barely has any Dust on that glove. I'm more excited to watch him develop than I am Frazier only because he's a SS.

[thatcoolguy_22]

I am now over DRS as a stat. How does Andrelton Simmons save 19 runs in only 49 games? I get that he is very good, but I don't believe it. Extrapolate that over the season and he saves 63 runs?!?! The metric is flawed.

[klw]

I would love to see the numbers put up if you had an infield with Adam Dunn at SS and Jonathan Broxton at 2nd.

[Cooper]

It might be flawed in the same way a guy starts out hitting .450 for the first month of the season, but i get what you're saying --same thing with Barney.

I looked up Simmons minor league fielding numbers -they're pretty strong- they pro-rate at the high end- but it doesn't look like his major league stats are a fluke - it looks like the guy can really, really field. No one fields at a plus 63 rate -but he could be a plus 40 guy. They do come along once in a while.